As businesses continue to grow, so too does the complexity of providing traditional back end support services. Current telecommunications technology has expanded beyond the traditional packet-switched telephone network (PSTN). With this, many businesses and individuals are adopting Internet Protocol (IP) telecommunications. For telecommunications providers who have adopted an IP infrastructure it is often difficult to manage an efficient and error-free deployment of network communication endpoints, such as individual user telephones. Traditionally, a manager in charge of the infrastructure would have to logically create a profile in the network's configuration files for each device. The manager would then populate that profile with information such as the extension the device should serve as from a private branch exchange (PBX), the permissions granted to the device, or the servers the device should communicate with. Fortunately, this information could be readily duplicated or dynamically generated for most devices. However, each logical profile within the configuration file(s) also required a unique MAC address to link the profile to a device. The MAC address entered in the configuration file(s) had to correspond with the MAC address associated with the device to be deployed in order for the device to function as desired upon connection to the network. In the event one new device is sporadically added to the network this limitation commonly does not present a problem, however, when rapid deployments of a large number of devices is required, the process can quickly become a logistical nightmare.
The foregoing problems are demonstrably present in the telecommunications industry. For example, a telecommunications provider may be required to install hundreds, if not thousands, of new devices upon the installation of a system. Additionally, the manager would be required to ensure the delivery of the proper device to its proper destination in order for the destination to receive the profile designated for it, including its proper extension and permissions. This process is tedious and difficult to manage, and thereby prone to error. Therefore, improvements are needed in the area of telecommunication device deployment.